Las Vegas Bowl Moment 4: UNLV dominates rematch with Central Michigan

To celebrate the local bowl’s 25th anniversary milestone, the Review-Journal will rank the top 25 moments in Las Vegas Bowl history. We’ll relive one moment per day until game day Saturday at Sam Boyd Stadium:

No. 4: UNLV dominates Central Michigan

Date: Dec. 15, 1994

Score: UNLV 52, Central Michigan 24

Back story: UNLV had an upset victory against heavily favored UNR to win a share of the Big West championship and a spot in the Las Vegas Bowl for the first time. The third Las Vegas Bowl was a rematch from the regular season when the Rebels fell to Central Michigan 35-23 on the road. The Chippewas won the Mid-American Conference championship. The Rebels were making their second bowl appearance in 10 years.

Game: UNLV, under first-year coach Jeff Horton, got its revenge with a dominant win over Central Michigan. Rebels wide receiver Henry Bailey scored four touchdowns on his way to being named Most Valuable Player. Bailey rushed for three touchdowns on seven carries for 79 yards and added five catches for 101 yards and another score. Central Michigan had four turnovers compared with three touchdowns.

Since: Horton never returned to a bowl game with the Rebels and won a total of six games the following four years. He was fired after the 1998 season, when the Rebels went 0-11, and replaced by John Robinson. Central Michigan didn’t return to a bowl until 2006.

Contact Gilbert Manzano at gmanzano@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0492. Follow @gmanzano24 on Twitter.